Citation

Ward NJ, Alexander L, Cheng PM, Gorjestani A, Newstrom B, Olson C, Shankwitz C, Trach W, Donath M. J. Intell. Transp. Syst. 2004; 8(3): 169-185.

Affiliation

ITS Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15472450490492860

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In conditions of poor weather and restricted visibility, it is necessary that emergency vehicles (e.g., police, ambulance, snowplows) are still able to operate and respond to critical events in the road environment. This report presents the result of a pilot study designed to evaluate a prototype Vision Enhancement System (VES) intended for use by state patrol vehicles. For this study, visibility was artificially restricted using smoked headlight covers during nighttime driving on a closed test track. The study examined the effect of preview distance and the presence of motion cues in a Head Up Display (HUD). Driving speed and self-reported data were the dependent measures related to safety and vehicle control. Despite the lack of a valid baseline, drivers reported that they felt their driving would be safer with the system than in the (imagined) case of unassisted driving in poor visibility. As a result of the apparent improvement in safety, all officers had a positive attitude toward the system.